Kids These Days
by Insane Rice of the Cosmos
Summary: Everyone knows the Autobots raised Bumblebee, but could Barricade and Frenzy pull off the same feat? We're about to find out. Rated T cuz because of new chappie.
1. Chapter 1

Heeeeeey, this is Insane Rice of the Cosmos here! Just call me Rice, though. I'm typing up my first story, so be nice!

Anywho, I was reading karetegal's stories, and it got me thinking: Could the Decepticons pull that sort of thing off? Maybe not… But what about Barricade and Frenzy? So, here's what I ended up with. (If you haven't read Karategal's stories, this might not make sense.)

Disclaimer: Don't own Transformers. Talk to Hasbro on that one. I don't know if there's a Transformer named Turret yet, but if not, she's mine.

"Frenzy?"

"Yes, B-b-barricade?"

"….What is that thing that's dragging you in here?"

"….I think it's a sparkling. I'm not sure. It's been a w-w-while since I've actually seen one."

Slapping a hand over his face, he tried not to blow up on Frenzy's stupidity. Dragging a sparkling in here, this makeshift home for the last two Decepticons on Earth, had to have been not one of Frenzy's better ideas, apparently. A sparkling, for Primus' sake! And a femme to boot, judging by its frame! "And what exactly were you thinking when you brought it here?" he said, trying to keep his temper down. "Hey, s-s-she followed me here! I was t-t-trying to get one of the Autobots to take her off my back, really!"

-

Meanwhile, the youngling, who was oblivious to what the two were saying, happily attempted to climb up Barricade's leg. Being as small as she was, she easily found places to grip and pull herself up. Barricade was too angry at Frenzy to notice until she was on his shoulders. "Get off of there, you." He reached back with his hand, but the femme was clinging to his helmet and had her small legs wrapped around his neck, stating that she wouldn't be removed by any means except force. "S-s-she likes you, 'Cade!" Frenzy smiled. "Just get her off…" he snarled.

Climbing up, Frenzy tried to pull the femme off. It worked, but at Frenzy's expense. She now hugged him like a child would hug a beloved toy. And she refused to let go.

"GAK! M-m-my internals!"

-

After much chasing around the old warehouse, they finally caught up with the tiny femme, who was found in recharge in a crate, apparently too tired to continue playing Hide-and-seek.

Groaning, both mechs sat, backs to the walls. They both needed recharge and they needed it now. But there was one thing that was bothering them.

"How on Cybertron did a sparkling get past all those Decepticons? I thought we destroyed all the femmes AND sparklings, save that brat Bumblebee." Said Barricade, glancing at his partner.

"H-h-have no idea. But w-w-we can dump her off with the Autobots tomorrow. No w-way we're taking care of that t-t-t-terror." Replied Frenzy, who looked about ready to drop off into recharge in a few breems.

"Fine. I don't think I could deal with all that chasing all the time…" Barricade heard himself say as he fell into recharge as well.

-  
Well? Like it? Wanna see more? Hate it? Never wanna see it ever again? Just tell me!

Rice


	2. Turret

Holy shiznak. I didn't expect any reviews at all. But I guess I have some sort of talent.(Notice how it's not going to my head.)

Well, it's 5:30 over here, and I'm still tired. But I'll see what I can do.

Chapter 2: Can't Get Rid of Her Now.

-

"Wha?" Optics coming online, Barricade found himself face to face with the youngling. "Hi, 'Cade." She squealed cheerfully. "Ah, so you're old enough to talk. And that's Barricade to you, missie." He snapped. The youngling only giggled. "Right, that's it!" he snarled, and he roughly picked her up by the scruff bar. But instead of the intended effect of scaring her, she seemed to think of it as a sort of ride.

"More, 'Cade, more!" she said, flailing her arms. Primus, did this thing ever shut up?!

At this point, Frenzy poked his head out from behind a crate. "Ah, so you're up." He staggered out, still sore after the sever hugging he'd gotten last night. "Yeah, I discovered something about the youngling last night. It seems-"He was cut off by the squeals of "Frenzy!" from the femme, who was now attempting to get out of Barricade's grip.

"Slagitall, keep her away from me!" Frenzy ducked out of sight.

"No swearing in front of the youngling!" growled Barricade. Frenzy poked his head out once more (to the youngling surprise and delight). "So? We always swore in front of younglings. Remember when we were taking over that Autobot Outpost that one time?" Barricade nodded. "Yeah, good times…But that's not the point."

"Then what IS the point?"

Barricade felt he didn't need to explain. Buuuuut….Frenzy was getting on his bad side at the moment, so…he placed the youngling down. Clicking and squeaking curiously, Barricade crouched down next to her and said, "Well? What are you waiting for? Go get him."

"FRENZY!"

"Oh, Primus, get her off! Mymymy internals!"

-

_After much laughing at Frenzy's expense…_

Frenzy lay on the floor, wincing every time he moved. That youngling had a strong grip…for a femme, anyway.

Meanwhile, Barricade was learning how to actually enjoy time with the youngling. "Alright, kid, so you can talk, right?" "Right." The femme giggled, sitting on his shoulder. "So, you have a name?" he asked. The youngling tilted her head at her new guardian. "Turret!" she said, sending a long stream of clicks after the response.

"Alright then, Turret." He swung his head to the now slightly better Frenzy. "Frenzy, scan the perimeter. I want to see if there are any Autobots around." At the word 'Autobot', the youngling squeaked in dismay. As far as she was concerned, the Autobots were the 'bad guys'.

"What now?" asked Barricade, slightly annoyed. "Don't like Autobots. Wanna stay with 'Cade and Frenzy." She said stubbornly. Barricade and Frenzy exchanged a glance, the asked at the same time, "Why?"

The youngling didn't answer, instead proceeded to snuggle against Barricade's helmet.

"That's not surprising…" growled Frenzy. "She is, as the humans say, A born and bred Decepticon."

"WHAT?!" Barricade yelled, nearly causing the youngling to fall from her perch. Picking her up by the scruff bar (gently this time) he looked her over.

There was what appeared to be a violet dot on the youngling's brown and green armor. Right there, on the armor of her right hand.

It was the Decepticon insignia.

It was going to be a little harder to get rid of her now.

--

Soooo? Tell me what you thought. Also, thanks to karategal. Her stories inspired me to do this.

Next chapter preview: 'Cade lets Turret join them for a drive. Big mistake.


	3. Bee's encounter

Wow. Just wow. I'm getting reviews! YAY! Thanks to all who reviewed. And here's the next chapter.

Chapter three: Bumblebee's Encounter

"Barricade?"

"What now, Frenzy? Wait, where's the kid?"

"She's playing a game of Hide-and-Seek…without my knowledge beforehand."

"…So you lost her."

"More like she wandered off."

"IDIOT!" Barricade snarled. "If the Autobots find her, who knows what could happen?!" That was something he didn't want to think about. Annoying as Turret was, she was…growing on him. "But they wouldn't harm an innocent youngling, those soft sparked-"Frenzy cursed under his breath. "No, they wouldn't hurt an innocent AUTOBOT OR NEUTRAL sparkling. They would DESTROY OR CONVERT an innocent DECEPTICON sparkling!" Barricade was about ready to blast his way through ANY Autobot who got to HIS youngling. Even Prime!

Wow, he was daring today. But this wasn't supposed to have happened! He was taking Frenzy on a little scouting mission, and the femme, who was drinking from a crude feeding mechanism Frenzy had made, insisted on coming along. And when they reached the destination, she insisted on getting off. Apparently, 'Cade was a sucker for the watery optics act.

While Frenzy was teaching her about hacking and such, she had wandered off. This is about the time this little conversation began.

-

Meanwhile, Bumblebee was making his way down a dingy and cramped alley. He had all the luck. Sam was gone for the week, said something about midterms, studying and coffee, lots and lots of coffee, and Optimus was making him patrol the run down part of the city. He was sure to attract attention to all the humans around here.

He heard a giggle. A metallic giggle. Transforming, he looked around. Whatever it was, it was behind a dumpster. Shifting the garbage containers,(and disturbing a hobo named Chuck) he found himself face to face with a green and brown sparkling. The femme frowned at him. "Hey!" she squeaked angrily. "You aren't Frenzy!"

'What would a little bot like her be doing hiding from Frenzy?' Bee asked himself "Er, hi. How do you know Frenzy?" he asked. The femme looked at him like he was crazy. "He's my friend. He lets me hug him." She smiled. "He's fun to hug." "I'll bet…" replied Bee distractedly. Maybe he could take care of this little femme like Ironhide and the others had cared for him.

Then he spotted the violet insignia.

"You're a Decepticon?" he asked, clearly surprised. "Yes…You a Autobot?" she asked. He nodded. "I'm afraid you'll have to come with me." He said.

"And if I dun wanna?" she said defiantly. 'Oh, she's a Decepticon. You can tell by the sass,' he thought, shaking his head. "I'll call my friends and they'll get you. We're not that bad, you know." He said, voice hoarse. He picked her up, but that only made her more agitated.

"Put me down!" she squealed, arms and legs flailing.

"And if I don't?' said Bumblebee in the same tone she'd used.

"I'll call Barricade and Frenzy! They'll hear me!"

"Doubt it."

"Will so!"

"Really? I dare you then."

Her pinkish optics went watery, he lip trembled and then-

-

Frenzy was snooping around an alley not far from there when he was hit by a blast that cracked windows and sent birds flying in a panic.

"**UHWAAAAAAAAAAH! BARRICADEFRENZYHELPAAUTOBOTSGOTMEEEEE! UHWAAAAAAAAAH!"**

"Uh, 'Cade? Yeah, III heard it too. That kid's got some k-k-kind of voice…"

-

Unfortunately for Bumblebee, he got full blast of the femme's wailing. Right in the audio receptors. He dropped the little bot, hands over his audios, as she giggled and clicked. "Bye Autobot scum! Let's play again next time!" She skipped off, leaving the yellow spy with a loud ringing in his head.

-

"Ok, so let me get this straight: You were the one yelling and you did it right in that brat Bumblebee's audios. I'm right so far?" Barricade was asking the youngling about the incident earlier. "Yes, Barricade…" the youngling looked thoroughly disappointed with herself. "It won't happen again."

"I hope you're talking about the running away unsupervised part." Barricade said, picking up the surprised femme. "The part about Bumblebee?" she asked. "Oh, I'll let that go just this once." He said, as the femme looked ready to drift off to sleep.

-

Meanwhile, in the Auotbot HQ….

"Stop yelling, Bee! What's wrong with you today?"

"Sorry, Ratchet! I can't hear you! There's a really loud ringing in my head!"

"Any reason why?"

Bumblebee looked at the medic strangely. "What about peas or flies?"

-

Lol, I'm so mean to Bee sometimes! XD

Anyway, I was taking a guess on the part about the audios and stuff, so correct me if I'm wrong.

Next time: Sunny and Sides come to Earth! How will Barricade react to the taunting?


	4. What I'm Made Of!

Woooo. I'm going on strong today! Anyway, I'd never though of this until today, so tell me what you think. Turret's about to show Sunny what's she's made off. YEEEEHAW! I'm quite pumped right now, ignore me.

-

Chapter four: What I'm Made of!

"No way. YOU got blasted by a Decepticon femme?"

"Hey! She was younger then me!"

-

The recently arrived twins burst out laughing. The now slightly better Bee glared. "It's not funny!" he growled. "Yes, it is!" gasped Sunny, the yellow twin. Sides, the red one, was laughing too hard to retort.

-

"Alright, what did we learn, Turret?" asked an impatient looking Barricade. "Never try to blast craters in a human road in the middle of the day?" answered a grinning Turret. "That's r-r-right. You might hit an animal! That's t-t-too suspicious. Just do i-i-it at dusk, when the humans are sleepy and can't see straight." Said Frenzy. The three were out on an educational trip. Turret had to learn about humans in hopes of taking an alt mode one day and fitting in. She wasn't going to be so little soon.

They left, leaving a large smoking crater in the center off the road. Courtesy of Barricade.

-

Barricade was cruising down the highway, while Turret recharged in the back and Frenzy scanned the internet. Suddenly, they were flanked by two Lamborghinis, one yellow, one red. The Camaro followed behind, hesitant. Pulling ahead, he let a sleepy Turret ad Frenzy out before transforming. The Twins and Bumblebee followed suit.

'Ugh. I've heard of these two jokers. Idiots…' Barricade thought. "Hey there, Decepticon we don't know. Mind if we blast you into the Pit?" The yellow one sneered. This must have been Sunstreaker. The other must have been Sideswipe. "Huh. Sorry, can't. I'm busy." Responded Barricade coolly, looking at Frenzy and Turret, who was cranky now. "Wha's going on?" she mumbled sleepily.

At the sound of the femme's voice, Bumblebee dashed behind Sunny. "Her! She's the one who blasted me!" Turret looked sleepily at Bee. "Oh, hi, Autobot Scum. Came to play 'gain?"

-

"This little femme? She's the one who made all that chaos?" asked Side, who's smile was returning. He nodded fearfully.

The twins had never laughed so hard in their lives. Sunny was actually flat on his chest, pounding the ground with his fists.

Barricade slapped a hand on his face. This was an embarrassment to all Decepticons out there. The jokes about him and Frenzy would never end. NEVER!

-

"Ugh. I'm sleepy, and since they won't stop…" she whispered something into Frenzy's audio. He nodded excitedly. Grabbing his arm, she made hers look exactly like it, except with razor sharp talon-like tips. "Since when can you do that?" asked 'Cade, raising an optic ridge. "Frenzy taught me." She said simply, and walked over to Sunny, who was sitting up, still laughing. Planting herself firmly on one of his legs, she growled, "Be quiet!" He looked at her, grinning. "And if I don't, little miss?"

"I draw the line, or five." Placing the claws on Sunny's leg armor, she smiled nastily at him. "You wouldn't dare." Sunny said, smile fading…

clikclikclikclikclik…screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Silence.

Bee's voice. "Toldya she was evil."

I'm sooooo mean to Sunny too! XDDDDD

I wasn't sure if the twins were both vain, so I went with instinct and made Turret…well. –evil smile- Now, I'm kinda new to Transformers, and it's hard to think of ideas…especially with Writer's Block. So, I appreciate the constructive criticism. Thanks to all who reviewed again!

Well? Review!


	5. A new friend?

Now, thanks to P.A.W.07, I'm adding some…interesting bits. But first, Starscream must face…Turret's cuteness! Bwhahaha!

Buuuut…Ratchet will have to deal with her first. Prime too. XD And Ironhide, if I can squeeze him in.

Chapter five: A New Friend?

-

"What? Where'd my laser scalpel go? I'm not done tormenting Sunny yet. I'll teach HIM to bother me with a little scratch!"

"Uh…Ratchet? I'm still here."

-

"Cade! Lookie what I got!" Turret showed him the 'borrowed' scalpel. "Primus! Where'd you get that?!" He took it from her, causing her to click in frustration. "Hey!" "Sorry, kid. This isn't a toy." "Yeahyeahyeah. You could h-h-hurt yourself."

-

'Huh! I'll show 'Cade! I'll find a better toy!' She shifted through some rather dangerous looking tools belonging to Ratchet. It was easy getting through the Autobot security system. Frenzy really was a good teacher. "Lessee…Nope, nope, oh too small….Intresting…" She was unaware she was being watched.

"Can't believe the Autobot scum would leave all these cool toys lying around!" Suddenly, she was grabbed by the back of her armor, namely, her scruff bar. "Hey!" She found herself staring at Ratchet. "Lemmee go! I mean it!" "What's your name?" asked Ratchet, still slightly surprised at her appearance in the base. "Name's Turret. Now gerroff me!" She squirmed again.

Ratchet shook his head. There was only one way to deal with a fitful sparkling such as herself. It had worked on Bee several times, and he was sure it would work again.

"Alright, I've got no choice. I'm going to have to give you to Prime. But first…"

"EEEEEEEE! Cuttitout! I'm ticklish! Help!"

-

Bee stood halfway through the door, looking utterly horrified. "Gah! Her again!" Ratchet looked up from the laughing, squirming youngling. "Hey Bee." He said, resuming to tickle-torture the squealing youngling.

"Get her out of here! That's a DECEPTICON youngling!" Bee said, staring with wide optics. "Really? Acts just like you when you were younger." Ratchet had stopped tickling the now tired and grinning femme. "You're fun for an Autobot." She said, smiling at the crusty old medic. "Name's Ratchet. Alright, alright. Kid, time for you to go, changed my mind. And stop stealing my tools, alright?"

-

"Why, Ratchet?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you get along with that terror?"

"Turret? She's a youngling and she's a terror to Sunny."

"Huh?"

"She's got it in for him. Understand?"

"Oh."

"Did I miss something?"

"No, Sunny. Go back to recharge."

"Could have sworn I heard laughing…"

-

Gah…It's so short! Sorry, y'all!


	6. Missing!

Starscream has returned! YAY! But, well, it's not exactly a happy occasion. You'll see. Oh, and just to let you know, I'm using SEVERAL Oc's in this chapter. And the next one. Sorry, guys! –sweatdrop- This story's getting a wee bit darker.

Chapter 6: Missing?! HOW?!

Starscream had returned. That was the only promise he'd kept in a long time. And with several new recruits.

-

"FRENZY! WHERE'S TURRET?!"

"I don't know! Shesheshe disappered!"

Looking up, Barricade saw several falling objects from the sky. Decepticons? "Come on, Frenzy. Looks like Starscream wasn't lying this time."

-

"Move your afts! Come on, come on! Before the Autobots show their ugly faces!" Several young looking recruits were scrambling around the area, searching for alt modes. One lucky bugger by the name of Cryos actually landed near a car show. Once they found a decent alt mode, they headed for the meeting point, where Starscream had indicated. His landing place.

But…they were being pursued. That's why all the urgency.

-

'Cade and Frenzy were making their way to the abandoned field that Starscream had landed in. "Ah, Barricade. We have a surprise for you." "We?" asked the black and white mech. The Seeker looked out onto the other side of his landing spot. Several cars drove through the grass, transforming before they slowed down. Two femmes and three mechs.

-

Transforming, Barricade looked the recruits over. They didn't seem intimidated at all. "Alright, 'Cade, ready for the surprise?" "Er…Starscream, there's something you should know." He explained the entire thing to the Seeker, as the recruits listened, slightly confused.

-

"…So you've been playing Sparkling sitter since I left?" asked Starscream, snickering. 'Cade nodded. "Then this should be no problem for you. Bring him out." A black armored mech, thiner then his companions, pulled out a ball of white armor from a cage like pod that he'd brought with him.…but on closer inspection, it was a trembling sparkling.

An Autobot sparkling.

-

"Ugh…" Prime slouched against the wall of the temporary HQ, dents and scratches covering his armor. "I told you, Prime. I told you she was trouble." Sunny was smiling smugly. He'd complained to Prime about Turret. Bumblebee had done the same. Optimus hadn't believed them.

That is, until he found her wandering the base.

The rest, as humans said, was history.

Turret had put up some kind of fight. Apparently, she'd learned how to make her arm into a canon. No doubt she had been watching Ironhide practice. The little femme was tough, but with Sunny's help, he'd managed to subdue her.

He'd basically made her fall into recharge and placed her in a temporary holding cell.

Sunny hadn't been lying when he said she was a terror.

-

Sorry, for so many fanbots…I'm kinda at a blank right now. But now I have an excuse for a fight scene! YAY! 8D


	7. Chapter 7

Ugh…heat plus school equals pain and brain in the heatstroke ward. So, I'm kinda messed up right now. And I'm tired.

Gh: Uh, Rice? Can we move along? We're ready over here.

Me: Whu? Oh, right. Story. Long one too.

Chapter 7: Floodlight

-

"Alright, kid. Move it. Come on."

The white sparkling clicked and squeaked indignantly. "Floodlight, stop it." The little mech gave one last click and stared at her.

Quakeshot sighed. The navy blue Decepticon femme was in charge of keeping an optic on the little sparkling, and she hated it. Just because she was a femme didn't mean she was a stinkin' nurse!

Buuuuut…the kid wasn't so bad. He wasn't as whiny as other sparklings. She'd seen them.

"Alright, alright, we'll go outside. Just please…try not to bring in animals again."

-

Barricade watched the two enviously. He wouldn't admit it, but he missed Turret. A lot.

He'd tried to approach the femmes, Quakeshot and Shift( the mechanic/ medic), but one of the mechs, Gh, he remembered his name was, had told him to not disturb them. He hadn't listened.

Shift had thrown a laser scalpel at him with surprising accuracy and sent a stream of curse words at him. He'd never heard so many curses in one sentence. Even from Megatron. And that other femme, Quakeshot, had snarled and pointed at her twin canons at him. She was overprotective of the sparkling, that was for sure.

So…Why did they remind him of some…oh, never mind.

He couldn't stop worrying about the little femme. What were those Autobots doing to her?

-

"GAH! Stop shredding my armor, you little glitch!"

"Make me!"

"Sides! Help me get her off! She's ripping my armor off!"

"Alright, hold still. Come on, you- OWCH! She scratched me!"

"Not fun, is it?"

"Mute it, you!"

"Make me! Ow! Fraggin little Deceptispawn!

"Yeah, well, yellow's an ugly color!"

"You'll pay for that! Ow! I'll never get these scratches out now!"

"Stop being such a sparkling! OW! Stop it!"

The cackling sparkling found herself lifted up by Ratchet. She immediately stopped squirming and looked up at the Medic. "Hey Ratchet." She squeaked. "Turret, what did I tell you about attacking Sunny?" the yellow mech was moaning over his now scratched and dented armor. "Oh, mute it, you sparkling!" snarled Ratchet. "It can be fixed! Now, Turret, say you're sorry." The brown and green femme smiled innocently at the distraught mech, and said, "Sorry." Sunny merely grunted in response.

Ironhide smiled. So this was the little youngling that drove Sunny up the wall. He had heard about her from Bee, who was spending more time with Sam. Not surprising. He really wanted nothing to do with the Decepticon femme.

His opinion? Anyone who bothered Sunny like that couldn't be all bad.


	8. Missing Wax and New Paint

Haha…If you think Sunny's off the hook right now, you're wrong.

Sunny: WHAT?! Why?!

Me: Because I'm the authoress, and I say so. Say bye bye to your most treasured possessions! Oh, and the chapter will flip back and forth to Floodlight and Turret, so just read.

Chapter 8: New Paint and Missing Wax a.k.a. A Good Deed? Why not?

-

"What now, Floodlight? Why aren't you in recharge?"

The white sparkling clicked and squeaked. "Bad dream." He said uneasily.

"Oh. Alright, you can stay here tonight." The Autobot sparkling curled up next to the femme. Her arm made for a nice pillow, provided she kept it still.

"Oi! You two! Mute it! Some of us need recharge over here!" A bad tempered and thoroughly tired Shift was heard from the other 'room'.

"Mute it yourself, Shift. The kid had a bad dream."

The sparkling didn't hear. He was already in recharge.

-

Turret was restless.

Since this morning, when she had attacked Sunny, she felt something. Something bad. What did Ratchet call it? Oh yeah.

Guilt.

Although the first time, he HAD deserved a brutal scratching, he hadn't really annoyed her the second time. She just felt like ripping his armor off at the time. Now…she felt bad. 'Wonder if 'Cade ever feels like this?' she asked herself. While she was on the subject, how were 'Cade and Frenzy doing? Were they looking for her? Of course. They were her caretakers, and they wouldn't let anything bad happen to her…

So why was she stuck with the Autobots again?

That wasn't important right now. She needed to make it up to that yellow mech, and if he didn't like it, too bad. An idea was starting to form. She figured Sunny could use some new paint. After all, she'd scratched most of his off this morning…

-

As she passed Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's temporary living quarters, she heard a clank from inside. Poking her head in, she saw it was just the red twin. His arm had moved in his sleep, and had knocked a large tarp over. But it was something shining under the tarp that caught her interest.

Getting closer and being careful not to wake either of them, she picked up one of the small cans stacked neatly so the tarp could cover them all.

'Premium wax,' she read the label softly. Wax? Looking up at the pile, she snorted angrily. There were a lot of cans of wax up there.

Too much for two mechs to use alone.

Ratchet was always lecturing her on the importance of 'sharing', so why wasn't Sunny doing just that? He was such a jerk!

Calculating how many cans of wax there were and dividing that number by eight, she separated the wax into smaller piles. That was about ten cans each. (Younglings can do division, you know.)

Again, he was a jerk. Greedy too! Why he wasn't a Decepticon, she would never know.

Piking up the piles, she rushed to and fro to deliver the wax to all the Autobots. Including Optimus Prime.

-

Phew. That was done. Now all she needed to do was paint Sunny. She'd seen some paint in Ratchet's room. He had let her play with some of it, and ended up painting half of Ironhide's living quarters purple and blue. He hadn't yelled at her, but the black armored mech had warned the Twins about finishing the job for her.

Picking up the yellow paint canister, she dumped it unceremoniously on the mech's right leg. Making sure it was smooth and even, (using her fingers, indecently.) she looked him over. His leg looked as good as new, but she was out of yellow paint.

Frenzy had taught her that humans mixed pigments together to make different colors, so maybe she could make yellow paint…Maybe.

-

_After much experimenting…_

Turret soon found yellow was a hard color to make.

Her armor was splattered with red, blue and every other color except yellow. She was tired by now, and she felt a little lazy. Dumping all the paint on Sunny's armor, still careful not to wake him, she disposed of the cans and returned to her room. Falling into recharge, she didn't stir even as Sunny's horrified yell echoed through the area.

-

'Hide was barely getting up. "What the?" he leapt up, canons ready, when something clanked against his foot. Looking down, he saw a small pile of cans.

He picked on up, reading the label. "Wax?" The sound of laughter reached his audios.

Outside, Rachet had actually fallen over, he was laughing so hard. Sideswipe was trying to calm down the now multicolored mech, who was roaring curses and oaths to scrap whoever did this.

Thankfully, they never looked down. They would have seen red and blue print leading to Turret's quarters.

-

Sunny:….

Me: Well, I'll work on the climax. It's about time for one. And Sunny looks like a rainbow threw up on him. XD

Cryos: Or a leprechaun exploded on him.

Me: Now he'll never find his lucky charms. -shakes head- Oh well. Review, peoples!


	9. Camping! part 1

Sorry my chapies are so short, peoples. But I'm trying to make them longer so I can do the sequel right.

Sunny: If I'm the butt of the joke again, you die.

Me: Oh, Sunstreaker, don't be silly! This isn't about you and your multicolored armor. Not today. –snickersnort-

Sunny: Good.

-

Chapter 9: Camping! Part 1

"Ironhide, Rachet, you know you have to do this."

Ironhide protested weakly, "But why? What if the Decepticons find her?

Optimus Prime narrowed his optics. "She one of them. I think that won't be a problem. Now, kindly take her out for the day, while I speak with Bee. He's been missing ever since she came here."

-

Floodlight clicked and squeaked loudly. He had good reason to. He was amused.

Apparently, someone,(namely GH and Voltgear, the resident pranksters) had glued several multicolored feathers onto Stascream while in recharge. Then, they had woken him with a rather…let's just say interesting song they found on the Internet. When they'd gotten to the part about owning a parrot, Starscream chased after them, making GH yell the last line before fleeing with the irate mech on their skid plates.

"…_And I've never been to Boston in the fall!"_

Quakeshot and Shift had taken the day off. It was better to play with the sparkling **AWAY **from Starscream for today.

-

Turret, however, was far from amused today.

She'd been discovered splattered with paint from last night. Unfortunately for herself and Sunny, the paint wasn't the washable variety. It needed to be scrubbed off. But since they didn't have time, they used a powerful soap. It got rid of the paint from last night, but it also washed away her original paint underneath.

Luckily, Sunny had thrown a can of paint at her in his anger. It missed, but when it hit the wall, it popped opened, causing her to be drenched in white paint, the only color she hadn't used last night.

So now her armor was white. Snow white. As in, every speck of dirt shows up, white. How she hated it. She couldn't help it.

-

"Sweet Primus! Floodlight, what did you do?!"

The two femmes and the sparkling had already gotten up to the mountainous area. The formerly white sparkling was now covered in mud and debris. "I fell in." he said calmly.

"In where?" The navy blue femme asked, trying not to yell.

"Big puddle. Really big puddle." He pointed in the direction of a lake.

Shift slapped a hand on her forehead.

-

"Come on, Turret! It's not that bad!"

"Your armor s'not sparkly white, 'Hide." The femme retorted. She was riding on Rachet's shoulders so that Ironhide could attack if any Decepticons decided to show up.

"'Hide, I thought I was a Decepticon. Why do you need to protect me from my own teammates?"

Both mechs groaned. She'd asked this question several times already, each time either Rachet or Ironhide saying it was "Prime's orders."

The Autobot leader, plus half of the current soldiers, had had enough of Turret. He'd sent the three off for the day just to get peace and quiet. Sunny and Sides weren't likely to pull anything off due to Sunny's armor and temperament, and Prime needed to speak with Bee about coming back.

-

"He's still too young to use a canon, Quakeshot." The grey and red femme said to her, looking up at the sky. "He's too young to fight."

"Nonsense! If that's the case, I'll just teach him how to use a gun. Those Autobots'll make him too soft and squishy, like this mudball's resident species."

Being the equivalent of a three year old human, Floodlight had no idea what was going on. As the femmes' conversation continued, he looked out and saw some movement across the lake. Curio as a three year old can possibly be, he wandered off to investigate, taking care not to fall in the lake this time.

-

This is part one, people! Part two will come soon. I just need to finish it up.

Sunny: Why aren't I in this one?

Me: You want Turret going after you with a blowtorch?

Sunny:...no.

Me: Then shut it.


	10. So They Meet

Sorry for the wait, everyone! Heatstroke, Writer's Block, and other stuff were attacking me. Honestly! Plus, Blockade threw a tantrum on me. He's not related to Barricade, if that's what you're thinking. They're different!

Blockade: I'm not in this one! –pout-

Chapter ten: Camping part 2! Aka So they meet...

"Floodlight, you little twerp, where'd you go?!"

"He's not going to come back if you yell like that." Shift shook her head. Honestly, Quakeshot was as hard headed as her creator.

"Worth a shot, you know."

-

"Turret?! Where are you?"

"You lost her?!" Ratchet slapped his forehead. Apparently, Turret had wandered off while he was practicing. "I'll find her. You…just blow things up."

-

"Tag! You're it!"

"Hey! No fair! I tripped!"

Turret giggled. She had met up with Floodlight and started up a game of Tag. Apparently, both had had their insignias washed off or covered in mud, so they had no idea which side the other was on. Floodlight was It.

Turret ran from her playmate, laughing as he stumbled after her.

-

"Slagitall! Should we call 'Cade? He might be able to track her…"

"He HATES him."

Quakeshot snorted. That stupid cop car was still sobbing over that little bratling, Turret. Apparently, so was Frenzy. Idiots…

-

"Whoa!" Splash…

Floodlight had fallen in. Again.

He reappeared, shaking off all the mud and water. He wasn't quite clean…but it was enough for the insignia to show.

-

"Turret! Turret! Where are you?"

Ratchet sighed. Where was the femme?

"Ratchet! Save me!" The femme jumped squealing onto his leg, while another youngling hot on her tail. "No fair! You said no jumping on things!" squealed the off-white sparkling. The medic looked confusedly at the new sparkling. "Turret?" Who the slag is this?"

"His name is Floodlight. He's fun!"

-

So they meet! Yay! Sorry it's late!

Floodlight: -pokes Turret- You're it!


	11. Meeting Their Matches

Ok, that chapter was short…even by my standards. SO! To bridge the gap, I'm writing another that's slightly longer! 8D

Oh, and Hasbro owns all original characters. I own mah OC's.

-

Chapter 11: Showdown or Playtime?

-

"…so, what you're saying, Ratchet, is that this sparkling is an Autobot. You're sure this time? I don't wish to repeat the incident with Sunstreaker. Amusing as it was…"

Ironhide was staring at the sparklings running around his legs, playing tag. "Positive. Look at his armor." The Weapons Specialist looked down to see the red mark on Floodlight's helmet.

"Prime won't be happy. But at least it's an Autobot this time. Maybe it won't be so bad."

"But how will Bee react?" the Medic looked at him questioningly.

-

"Oh slag."

From afar, and in her alt mode, Quakeshot spied the group from a lookout point. This was not good. Not good at all. They had lost their only bartering chip, and Primus only knows how Starscream would react…

"_Uh, Shift?"_

"_Yeah, yeah, I see 'em. What do we do now, genius?"_

"_Call 'Cade. He'll go through anything to get Turret back. Old mech's gone soft on us! Honestly…"_

"_Right. I'm contacting Screamer right now."_

"_I was hoping to get 'Cade directly…I'll confront them, you wait for back up."_

"_Are you sure?" Shift's voice was skeptical._

"_Yes," Quakeshot smiled internally. "I've been wanting to meet Ironhide for some time now."_

_-_

As the two chugged back to base(with both sparkling asleep in the back of Ratchet), they suddenly found the road blocked by a navy blue Dodge Viper. Skidding to a halt, the car stopped…and transformed. A femme stood before them. A decepticon femme, arms crossed and looking haughty.

"What?!" Ironhide transformed, canons crackling to life. "Ratchet! Get them out of here. Now!" Normally the Medic wouldn't have listened, but even he could tell…this was between them. Making a wide turn, he sped off in the other direction.

-

"Alright, I'll ask. How the Pit did a femme get past Megatron's extermination, huh?" Ironhide looked at the femme in slight surprise. The femme sneered, "Wouldn't you like to know. We have our ways. Now, you, I know you. Ironhide, famous trigger happy and Weapons Techmaster for the Autobots, correct?" He nodded, wary of her every move. "Well then." Arms changing into canons before his optics, she smirked. "Wanna dance?"

-

It didn't take Ratchet long to figure out he was being followed. A rather customized grey and red MazdaRX-8 was following him at breakneck speeds.

'Forget Screamer!' she snarled in her mind, 'I can take this one myself!'

-

Ooooohhh…Ratchet's in trouble and Ironhide's found a sparring partner. What's gonna happen now:O


	12. Fight For the Sparklings!

I'm pumped at the moment. Quite pumped. I think I have time for one last chapter before I need a break. This is mostly around Ironhide and Quakeshot. Ratchet and Shift will come a wee bit later in the chapter... Keep your shorts on! And the title's the result of too many Naruto episodes…Bleh… I realized I'm no good at fight scenes. So forgive me if I screw up. –sweatdrop-

Quakeshot: Rice…-is reading reviews-

Me: Aye?

Qs:…people love your story and all but this one here says I should start dating Ironhide…-mental trauma-

Me:…I'm guessing I should look at the reviews from now on?

Qs: Please do so. I'm going to be over there. Practicing my shooting….Yeah.

Chapter 12: Blow for Blow! Ironhide's Rival! AKA Fight for the Sparklings!

-

BoomBOOM! BoomBOOM! BOOM!

"It seems…" snarled the femme angrily, "We are evenly matched."

Ironhide glared at her. "So it would seem." _'How the slag does she do that?! She matches every single blast I throw at her!! But how?!'_

He'd have to stall her for now. Ratchet needed all the time he could get. "So how did you get past the massive killing, eh?"

"You WOULD like to know. It's a method we've developed." She smiled in an evil sort of way. "It's called Simply Disappearing. Most femmes are too 'noble' to use it. Or were." She laughed in a cruel way. "We remove all trace of our existence, our sparkmates, sparklings, that sort of thing. Cowardly, yes, but if one wishes to survive…" she frowned suddenly. "If you're stalling, you're out of luck. Shift is already after your friend. She'll catch up with him soon. Now…" her canons hummed to life again. "I do believe we have a fight to finish."

-

"Slag! Slagitall!" She ducked as debris shot over her head. She was in the middle of a battleground, taking cover behind a barrier she'd found. Apparently, she'd walked straight into an ambush.

Optimus Prime and the other Autobots had been waiting.

As a Mechanic/ Medic, she wasn't big on going heavily armed. This was one of those times she hated her lack of defenses. "Starscream, where the slaggin' Pit ARE YOU!?" she yelled into the communicator. No answer.

Swearing as only she could, she sent some plasma blasts towards the Autobots, which she thought was rather weak compared to Quakeshot. She was rewarded with a pain filled yell. She got one. Hopefully that little brat, Bumblebee.

-

The bot she hit was Sideswipe. There was a smoking crater in his chest armor, just inches away from his spark cavity. Sunstreaker, who had recovered from the paint incident, let loose a roar of hatred, and, regardless of Ratchet and Prime's orders, charged straight towards Shift. He looked about ready to rip the unfortunate femme in half had Optimus not held him back.

-

Shift glared at him. What was it about family units that sickened her to her core?

Oh yeah. Megatron had killed her creators. And her brother. They hadn't been sparkbonded as a mere precaution. It had indeed saved her life.

Now, to move on to more pressing matters. Like where the Pit Starscream was with back up?!

-

Ratchet looked the red twin over. He was still functioning, but screaming in sheer pain. Some sedatives would work right now. Sunstreaker was still snarling and attempting to get at Shift.

-

'_Trapped like a robo-rat…' _she thought miserably. '_Damn you, Starscream, where are you?!' _Suddenly, she felt a hand grip the back of her neck. A vise like grip. Her optics went wide with fear.

Sunstreaker had gotten loose from Prime.

"I don't care if you're a femme. You will pay for what you did to Sideswipe."

-

Smoking craters surrounding them, Ironhide and Quakeshot had finally run out steam. "You are good…" panted Quakeshot.

"Not exactly delicate yourself, femme." Retorted the weary mech.

"Alright, we both need rest, and our factions are probably fighting. We should get out of here." Quakeshot said, transforming. "…What? You don't trust me?" "Frankly, no." replied Ironhide, grinning.

"Smart of you. But I have honor. I don't attack warriors such as yourself from behind. I'll consider you a rival. See you around." She raced past him at a breakneck speed.

Ironhide watched her go. "Rival?" he muttered and sped off after her.

-

And where were the sparklings? They were at the Autobot's base, recharging peacefully while Bee was playing Sparksitter.


	13. What the heck!

I think I have enough energy to pop out one last chapter today. I'm still kinda sleepy…all nighter. Bleh.

HAMMER TIME! XD

Oh, and thanks to all my reviewers. I love you all! –Passes out cookies- and Ironhide belongs to Chromia! He's HERS! Although I'll admit, Quakeshot and 'Hide WOULD make for a good couple. Hmmm…-thinks-

Ironhide: -just watched POtC- It would have never worked out between us, luv. XD

Quakeshot: -blink- What the Pit are you talking about? And DON'T YOU DARE, RICE! –glareglowerglower-

Me: Meep. –sweatdrop- I MAY consider it, but-

Quakeshot: NO.

Me: Awww…admit you luvs the idea! X3

Qs: NEVER.

Summery: Screamer finally responds to Shift's SOS, but is it too late for the Medic? And what of Barricade and Turret? Will 'Cade get his sparkling back?

Chapter 13: Starscream Finally Responds!

"Ngh…wha? What the frag hit me?" Shift sat up. She was still near the battlefield, but off to the side… All she remembered was that brute Sunstreaker, unimaginable pain, then nothing. That was indeed strange.

The sound of yells and the firing of guns reached her audios. What the slag?! Starscream started the fight WITHOUT HER?! "Slag him!" she growled, as she tried to pick herself up. She let out a gasp of pain and doubled over. Her internals felt like they were on fire…

"Ah, so you've rejoined the land of the living. Welcome back."

Shift looked up to see Ratchet standing above her. "You!" she snarled. "What did you do to me, you-"She winced in pain again. Ratchet frowned. "I saved your life. Be grateful. Prime didn't want you repaired."

She grinned at the Medic. "I'm a Decepticon!" she screeched, "I've BEEN an ungrateful wretch since I joined under Megatron…"

"Regardless, you won't be fit for battle for some time, so I'd calm down if I was you." Ratchet said, crossing his arms. "Make yourself comfortable."

Growling, she sat back down. Despite the fact that she hated him, he was right.

-

Unfortunately for the Autobots, they were out numbered, but not necessarily out gunned. Optimus Prime was taking on two at a time, an emerald green mech by Chainmail and GH. The ninja like mech was running laps around the bigger mech with ease, but even he had not gone unscathed. Chainmail was a lousy shot when it came to a gun. Ironhide, who had joined the fray at the same time as Quakeshot, was now targeting Starscream. Sunstreaker was blasting through Cryos and Voltgear like they were nothing. Quakeshot, however, was looking for Shift. The Medic and the Decepticon Trigger happy were best friends, and she couldn't leave her behind.

But what of Barricade and Frenzy?

-

"So how long exactly am I to be a prisoner?"

Ratchet was startled by the sudden question. "You'll be released once you're fit enough to travel on your own." He replied, looking pensive. He grinned slightly. "I must admit, I've never heard anyone swear so much at Sunny, not even me." The femme snorted. "I deal with GH and Voltgear. From what I've heard, they are quite like your Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. I've also developed astounding accuracy when it comes to throwing things…"

Ratchet had only one thought about Shift now: She was a mirror image of himself.

-

Bee was in recharge, while Floodlight lay curled up on his chest armor, clutching a stuffed puppy. The pair had gotten along surprisingly well. It was like Bee knew how the little mech felt, not knowing about his creators…

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Turret. Sure, she got along fine with Floodlight, but she refused to listen to Bee at all. She threw a tantrum every time he tried to pick her up. So naturally, he spent more time with Floodlight. She was best left to her own devices anyway.

-

"Okkk, 'Cade, I disabled the security systems. Gogogo!"

This story shall come to a close soon, but not now. I think a few more chappies are needed before I release the sequal.

Look for Transformers: End of an Era coming soon! XD


	14. All's well?

Ahhhhh…I'm tired from today. Picnic, amusement park, chasing figments of my imagination around the place, the usual. And I'll be responding to reviews…if I remember.

Quakeshot: Congratulations, Shift. Looks like you and I are in the same boat.

Shift: What? –Looks blankly at Qs-

Qs: -whisperwhisper-

Shift: Ooooooh. I get it. Doesn't sound too bad, I guess…Ratchet and meeeee…but isn't there an age difference?

Me: Noooo. Quit trying to find loopholes to squirm out of! –grin-

-

Chapter 14: Alls Well That Ends Well?

-

'Cade looked around. The two Autobots were there, but where was Turret?

"Frenzy, there's no sign of Turret. Anything on the security cameras?"

"Yeah, 'Cccade. She's in-"but Frenzy voice was drowned out by a thin wailing. Since Bee was pretty much dead to the world, and the white sparkling wasn't waking up anytime soon, the black and white mech decided to investigate.

-

"Turret?" The femme stopped wailing. "'Cade?" she squeaked, excited. Poking her head around a corner, she saw him looking around in a worried manner. "'CADE!" She pounced on his leg, clicking with happiness.

"Quiet, you poor excuse for a blender! We might get caught!" he said, frowning. It was hard to keep a straight face around Turret. He had missed her special brand of annoyingness.

-

"_Barricade to Starscream. I've got Turret. Prepare to end combat._

"_Very well, Barricade. Just hurry up!_

-

"Decepticons, retreat!"

Quakeshot couldn't believe what she was hearing. "WHAT?!" she snarled, turning on the Seeker. "What about Shift? We can't just leave her at the Autobot's mercy!"

The Seeker spat back, "Well, we can and we will. Now I said, retreat!" Quakeshot followed, looking murderous.

-

"Beeeeeeeeee. Get up, Bee." The yellow spy's optics came online. He was staring into Floodlight's blue green optics. "What happened, Floodlight?" he asked, still sleepy.

"Can't find Turret."

"What?"

Gently lifting the sparkling off of him, he looked around. Checking the security cameras, there was indeed no sign of the Decepticon femme.

-

Turret was recharging in Barricade's arms as he stood with his assembled comrades. Starscream was explaining something to them all…something about reconstructing Megatron, but he was a bit busy making sure Turret didn't wake up during the Seeker's ramblings.. After Starscream was done with his lecture, 'Cade decided to crash on the recharge couch and Turret curled up on his chest armor. As Starscream passed the pair, he learned one of the greatest lessons you could possibly learn from a sparkling.

They're a lot cuter when their asleep.

-

Meanwhile, Floodlight was winning over Ironhide and Sunstreaker. The little mech was a lot like Bee when he was younger, so he could have only brought back good memories. He was a perfect little sparkling compared to Turret. Simply curling in a ball in Ironhide's grip was enough to bring back waves of nostalgia for every mech in the vicinity.

"Wonder how an Autobot sparkling got mixed with those Deceptispawn?" said Ratchet aloud, as he gave the little sparkling a check-up. "Perhaps he was captured after coming online." Suggested Ironhide, shaking his head. "Sounds like something the Decepticons would do." Optimus held the white sparkling steady as Ratchet continued the little guy's exam. "But why wouldn't they convert into one of them?" asked the red and blue mech, as Floodlight clicked and squeaked with curiousity. He had no real idea what they were talking about.

Sideswipe was healing quickly. It hadn't been too serious, but Ratchet was confining him to the Med Bay for a few days. That was just fine with Sunny and Ratchet.

Ratchet wasn't going to be alone with the red twin. Floodlight was sleeping in there too.

-

_The Next Day…_

"ARGH!"

Voltgear and GH had adopted a student and were teaching her the ways of the Pranksters.

"Great job, Turret. We'll make a prankster out of you yet! But now we must learn the most important skill a prankster needs to have." The cheeky purple mech said, grinning and looking over his shoulder.

"What's that, VG?" asked the green and brown youngling.

GH responded quickly, "The ability to run away. Quick, Cyros is coming!" Yells from the ice blue mech could be heard, and they were getting closer. "YOU IDIOTS! HOW DARE YOU COLOR ME YELLOW!?"

Both mechs took off, with Turret giggling on GH's shoulders.

-

"Bee!" "That's right. Good job!" Bee said to the white sparkling.

Floodlight was still quite young, so he wasn't used to talking much. But he managed to learn some of the Autobot's names. Practice made perfect, after all.

"Op…ti…mis…" he seemed frustrated with any word three syllables and up. So, he tried a different approach. "Prime!"

But he still didn't seem happy. "What's wrong, Flood?" asked the yellow spy.

"…Miss Quakeshot." He said glumly.

-

So? Is the saying 'alls well that ends well' true? I wouldn't know, the story's not over yet. XD I expect 1 or 2 more chappies to appear soon.

Now for reviews! YAY! 8D But only for chapter 13, mind. And Quakeshot shall assist me should I fall asleep or something. It's my first time, people!

Theshadowcat: Yes, ah do need sleep. –zzzzzzzz-

**Qs: Ugh. Since the fleshy has fallen asleep, I will do the reviews for now.**

Stesuna the Dragon: Yes, we would make a kickaft couple, but I will be too busy blasting Autobots to kingdom come to have a 'real' relationship with my rival. Nice try though.

Cman710:  I am sure the fleshy known as Rice will appreciate the fact you like her story. I will read you 'fan fictions' when I am not busy.

Blood shifter:  I assume you are talking about Sunstreaker. Rice informed me that, yes, Ratchet DID stop that sparkless brute from harming my friend any farther then he felt was necessary. Thank you for the concern.

Maccus lover:  I have not heard the song, nor has Rice. I shall ask Frenzy, the little twerp. He may know. But if not, I'll find it myself. For now, I shall take your word for it.

Optimusxelitia4ever:  Yes, our relationship is indeed a 'no-go'. But, I'm sure Shift will like Ratchet…for reasons beyond me. They could use GH and Voltgear as target practice. That would be nice.

Me: zzzzzzzzzsnort…wha? It's over?! Aw, man. Well, that's all for this week, folks. See you next week with the final chappies and the sequel to this story. See you then! –falls asleep-


	15. The start of the End

Ok, how many of you REALLY though I would wait until Friday 'til I posted the last chap? Come now, don't be shy.

I thought waiting a week was too cruel, so I'm posting it now. Plus, I've got work to focus on, so I'll get this out of my way. Also, BACK STORY ALERT! 8D

Chapter 15: To Start the End AKA Domino effect? Yeah.

"Shift? What exactly are you doing?"

Ratchet had found the grey and red femme sitting at the highest point of a hill. Her legs were crossed and her hands were on her knees. "It's called meditating, Ratchet. Humans do it to calm down. I found it on the World Wide Web and I figured I should try it." She paused. "It does work. And I think it heightens the senses of our race. I heard you coming from here. I think you were a good mile away…Also, did you happen to read the human's news?"

Ratchet shook his head. That was usually Ironhide or Bee's job, to get info on humans.

"Well, there have been blackouts lately. Several too. They all say it's a random power surge. But I think I know the reason why."

"And why would that be?"

Standing up, she looked silently out towards the west. "I've been sensing some energy disrupting my meditation sessions. Whatever it is, it's huge. Haven't you felt it?"

"Actually, no." Ratchet hadn't felt anything…unusual. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

-

Quakeshot had problems of her own. Floodlight was back where he belonged, with the Autobots. As much as Turret reminded her of herself, she couldn't help missing the little mech.

You see, once apon a long time ago, Quakeshot had not been so…trigger happy. Someone had cared about her. Someone who's personality matched Floodlight's.

Coldspark.

His first words to her were, "Femme, you are crazy. I like that about you." She had then punched him in the face plate. She smiled at the old memory.

He'd finally won her spark, and he had said he was going to tell her something…when he came back from a major battle, that is.

Needless to say, he never came back.

Now, she'd thought that was the worse news, but no. There WAS worse news. One of her two brothers, Trenchrunner, had been found dead. The other, Tinder, was missing in action.

Ouch.

Most had expected her to go insane, or die as a spark broken femme. But no. She had lived through it. And grown harder because of it.

-

She sighed, then heard a rustle behind her. Canons crackling to life, she turned to see a familiar little face.

"Floodlight? What are you doing here?" The white mech hugged her leg armor. "Missed you." He trilled sadly. The femme smiled. "You belong with the Autobots." Looking at his crestfallen optics, she said, "But you'll make a great fighter. After all, I taught you, and 'Hide will teach you too. And…" she carefully picked him up. "I promise I won't be fighting you, should we ever meet in battle, 'kay?" The youngling nodded. Giving him one last squeeze, she sent him on his way.

-

"Starscream, youyouyou better come look at ttthis."

The irritated Seeker looked at the small laptop Frenzy was surfing the Web on. " What, Wikipedia?" he snapped. "Nonono! Power sssurge!" hissed the silver bot.

The screen was flashing in a chaotic sort of matter, and the Seeker looked on, slightly astonished.

"What is wrong with this computer of yours, Frenzy?" he asked, shaking his head.

"I tttold you! Power sssurge! Unrealrealreal power surge!"

"Let me see that." He scanned the energy that was coming from the laptop.

It nearly blew his circuitry.

"What?!" he exclaimed, head reeling. "Only one thing on this mud ball could produce this much power…"

"The Allspark? But it was destroyed!"

"No." came a voice. It was coming from the laptop. "No, I am not gone."

-

And it ends in a cliffie. Well, how do you like it?

Look for End of an Era! It should be up today.


End file.
